Beijing is outraged by the US statement against China over the South China Sea

Beijing, Ta. 14 July 2020, Tuesday

The United States has launched a front against China and denied that China has claimed all areas of the South China Sea. The Trump administration took a major policy decision Monday, saying China has no legal right to claim the South China Sea and cannot simply assert its claim to the area arbitrarily. At the same time, the United States has said that there is no room for China's aggressive stance in the 21st century.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the world would not allow Beijing to make the South China Sea its own maritime empire. The United States stands with its Southeast Asian allies and will protect their sovereignty and their rights over resources under international law. The United States rejects any attempt to seize power in the South China Sea or other large areas and stands with the international community in protecting maritime areas. China's response to the US statement has also been mixed.

A Chinese embassy spokesman said the US statement on the South China Sea had deliberately tampered with the facts and exaggerated the situation in the area. This is an attempt to create controversy between China and other countries and we strongly oppose it. In the South China Sea there is a dispute between China and Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan. China is asserting its claim to an area known as the Nine-Dash-Line and is building an artificial island in the area to strengthen its claim. China has also increased its naval deployment in the area over the past few days, raising tensions in the South China Sea.

Pompeo said China cannot claim maritime territory illegally. Whether it's the Scarborough Reef or the Special Economic Zone (EEZ) on Spartly Island. The U.S. denies China's claim to more than 12 nautical miles of maritime territory on the island of Spartly. Apart from that, China's claim on James Shoal, 50 nautical miles from Malaysia and 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of China, is also illegal.

"We are making clear that China's claim to all the resources in the South China Sea is as illegitimate as its campaign to intimidate countries into controlling those areas," he said. The United States is in favor of continuing trade in the maritime area without any hindrance under international law and opposes any attempt to resolve the dispute by military force or threat.

Pompeo said Beijing uses force to undermine the sovereignty of southeastern countries in the South China Sea, intimidating them into relinquishing their right to resources and unilaterally occupying it in defiance of international law. For many years, China's attitude has been clear. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told ASEAN countries in 2010 that China is a big country while the rest of the countries are small and that is a fact. There is no room in the 21st century for such an aggressive regionalist stance of China.